Pro Tools 2026.11 adds a session-wide plugin format and free six-stem separation

Avid released Pro Tools 2026.11 on 3 November, and the main change is structural. It introduces Extensions, a new plugin format alongside AAX. An AAX plugin works on an individual track. An Extension can run processes across several tracks or a whole session, opened directly from the Edit window.

Avid’s launch partners show what that is for: Pro Sound Effects and Soundly for sound libraries, Forte for importing and organising tracks, and Pibox for collaboration and feedback. The Splice and SoundFlow integrations added in 2025 are also moving to the format.

The first Extension from Avid itself is Stem Separator. Drag audio in, preview the result, and bring the stems back into the session as individual tracks. It separates recordings into up to six stems (vocals, drums, bass, guitar, keys and other), and it runs locally, with no upload. It is included with every version of Pro Tools, including the free Pro Tools Intro.

That puts it in the same week as stem tools in Cubase 16, Logic Pro 13 and iZotope Photon.

The update also brings MIDI Polyphonic Expression, so compatible controllers and instruments can respond to pressure and pitch movement on each note separately. Windows gets High DPI support for 2K, 4K and 8K displays, with per-monitor scaling and better dark theme support. Playlist Clip Color Coding keeps takes in consistent colours across tracks.

Pro Tools 2026.11 is available to Artist, Studio and Ultimate subscribers, perpetual licence holders with an active upgrade plan, and Intro users. It needs macOS Sonoma 14.8, Sequoia 15.7 or Tahoe 26.6, or Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, with 16 GB of RAM.

Producer’s note

Recombine the stems and compare them with the original before you edit anything. Separated stems are an estimate of what was in the mix, not the original tracks, and quiet passages and reverb tails are where the difference shows first.